BLOOD TREE #1 hits your local comic book store on February 1, but thanks to Image Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an advanced review for our readers. The book is written by Peter J. Tomasi, with art by Maxim Śimić, John Kalisz drops the color, and you will read Rob Leigh’s letter work.
BLOOD TREE #1 is a New York murder mystery, and we mean the CITY. Tomasi writes from a familiar place that feels like a modern 80s blockbuster film; there’s some nostalgia to make you feel comfortable but with today’s sensibility. The first issue sets up the mystery and puts the hooks into the reader but doesn’t reveal too much. There are a lot of unknowns. BLOOD TREE could be a slow burn or explode in the second issue. Because of this, I’m eagerly awaking the next issue.
Śimić’s art has a grit to it, which works well with Tomasi’s story. Life isn’t perfect, and BLOOD TREE feels like a comic book that is going to get under your skin. The way Śimić places Detective Azzaro on a panel, you can feel the weight of his family and job slowly breaking him down. Also, the panel structure choices add to the story’s slow burn; the back-and-forth and close-ups gnaw away at you with uneasy tension. If the first season of TRUE DETECTIVE were a comic book, it would be BLOOD TREE.
John Kalisz’s color palette is on the bright side in the first issue; I’m interested to see how it evolves as the mystery unfolds. Does it get darker or stay bright, creating an awkward tension between the mystery and reality?
There is a lot to unpack and set up in BLOOD TREE #1, and Leigh’s letter work lets the story unfold naturally. He creates a flow that allows the reader to connect with the story.
The 80s feel, combined with the angelic nature of the murders, makes BLOOD TREE #1 a must-read.
